WHAT IS CROWD OUT?

A 1,000-voice experience by and for the people of chicago.

crowd out is a composition and performance for 1,000 voices by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang (co-founder of Bang on a Can, composer of TheLittle Match Girl Passion, Death Speaks).

Combining the human voice (spoken, sung, and shouted) with the dynamic movement of people in a public space, Lang explores what it means to be part of a crowd. In a crowd people can feel isolated, can rise in unison with others, and can be in conflict. A crowd has the potential to be something greater than the sum of its parts.

Co-produced by the Chicago Humanities Festival and Illinois Humanities, crowd out will make its dramatic U.S. premiere on October 1, 2017, in Chicago’s most spectacular public space—Millennium Park. crowd out will represent the full diversity of Chicago, drawing 1,000 amateur and professional performers from across the city. The event will bring Chicago performers, cultural groups, civic organizations, and audiences together in a unique community-building experience.

In the summer months leading up to the premiere, we will engage each ward of Chicago through local rehearsals and small community gatherings.